Floor-planer.



A. SHlELDS.

FLOOR PLANER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. I4- 1916, 1,286, 1 Patented Aug.14, 1917.

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ALFRED SHIELDS, OF BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA.

rLoon-rLAivER.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALFRED SHIELDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bloomington, in the county of Monroe and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floor-Planers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to floor planers, and moreparticularly to planersof that type in which a rotary element is provided having a plurality ofcutting or planing knives.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a planer of thecharacter stated of simple construction and operation which may beeasily operated and in which the planing blades may be adjustedvertically as desired. A further object is to provide a planer somounted as to permit give of the frame of the planer thus preventingpossible breakage or damage to the machine. Further objects will appearfrom the detail description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a planer constructed in accordance with myinvention, with the side of the frame removed;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Figs. 8 and 4: are details.

The vertical side walls 1 of the planer are of irregular polygonal shapeand are secured together, near their back ends, by a transverse brace 2,which is secured to the same with its ends turned upward at rightangles. This brace receives the stub-shafts 2- of the forks 2 whichcarry the casting wheels 2. The upwardly and rearwardly inclined sidearms 3 are secured to the side plates 1 and have their upper endssecured together by a cross piece 4. This structure provides grippingmeans for pushing the machine over the surface to be operated upon. Ashaft 5 is'rotatably supported by the arms 3 and has one end squared asat 5 to receive the eye 6 of an operating crank 6. A sprocket wheel 7 iskeyed on shaft 5 and is operatively connected by a chain 8 to a pinion9'mounted on a transverse shaft 10 which is rotatably mounted in the.side plate 1 of the frame. A spur gear 11, the diameter of which isapproximately three times as great as the diameter of pinion 9, ismounted concentric with the pinion and is secured thereto, and a balancewheel 11 is secured on shaft 10 adjacent the other end thereof.

This spur gear meshes with a pinion 12 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

Application filed November 14, 1916. Serial No. 131,289.

secured on the transverse rod or shaft 13 rotatably supported by theside plates 1. This pinion is concentric with, and is secured to, a spurgear 14: which is also mounted on shaft 13 and is approximately of threetimes the diameter of pinion 9. This gear meshes with a pinion 15 keyedon the shaft 16 of the blade drum 17. The ends of shaft 16 of this drumfit into slots 18 in the side plates 1 near the front ends thereof andin alinement transversely of the machine. The upper portion of each slot18 extends vertically and the lower portion is inclined slightlyrearward as at 18. When the knife drum 17 is in position the pinion 15is enmeshed with gear 14 and is positioned below the axis of this gearso that the knife drum cannot move vertically in the slots.

At each side of the machine, near the front thereof, a verticalsupporting standard 19 is slidably mounted through blocks 20 secured tothe plate 1. This standard is provided at its lower end with a stubshaft 21 on which is rotatably mounted the front ground or supportingwheel 22. The upper end of the standard 19 is slidable in a verticalrecess 23 at the center of a block 24. secured to plate 1 at the upperedge thereof. A coil spring 25 is mountedin this recess, about thereduced upper end portion 19 of standard 19. The reduced portion or stem19 of the standard extends through an aperture in block 24: and isthreaded to receive an adjusting hand wheel 26 threaded there on. Thesprings 25 act to force the standards 19 downward so as to support theknife drum a proper distance from the floor surface while, at the sametime, providing a resilient mounting for this drum which permitssufficient vertical give of the front portion of the machine to preventserious injury to the knife drum or blades carried thereby in the eventof the drum encountering an obstacle which the knives cannot properlyoperate upon. By rotating the hand wheels 26 so as to compress thesprings 25 greater downward pressure will be exerted on the standards 19thus adjusting the mounting of the front portion of the machine and theknife drum. By this means the adjustment of the drum may be varied tosuit circumstances.

The drum 17 is provided with a plurality of integral raised ribs or arms17* each of which is provided with a rectilineal face 17 b ed to receivecutter knife or blade 32 se cured thereto by set screws 33. This knifeis secured to the fiat face 17 of the arm and extends the full length ofthe drum. When the drum is rotated these blades encounter the floorsurface and act to plane the same. By means of the crank 6, sprocketchain 8, and the connecting gearing, the drum 17 can be driven at veryhigh speed by rotating the sprocket 7 at a relatively low speed. Whenthe planing operation has been completed, by detaching pinion 15 fromthe drum shaft 16, the knife drum 17 may be removed from the machine andreplaced by a grinding or finishing drum.

A hand lever 34: is connected at one end by pin and slot connections, asat 35, to each side plate 1. This lever is pivoted intermediate itsends, to the standard 19, as at 36. By depressing these levers thestandards 19 may be forced downward positively so as to lift the knives32 out of operative engagement with the floor surface thus permittingthe machine to be freely moved from place to place.

The machine is provided, on its front wall 37 with the usual bumpingblock or beam 38 secured thereto. This beam may be made of any suitableresilient material and acts to prevent injury to walls of rooms in whichthe machine is used through contact of the machine body with the walls.

As will be noted from Fig. 2 of the drawings, all of the drive gears andthe supporting wheels are included within the side plates 1. By thisconstruction my machine is specially adapted for use in rooms or hallswhere it is desirable to plane the floor close to the walls. The fiatouter faces of plates 1 will fit snugly against the face of the walls ofthe room without scarring or marring the same, the side plate fittingabove the usual base board, thus bringing the end of the knife-drum l7closely adjacent the base board. This renders it possible to plane afloor up to thebase-board, the side plate 1 providing spacing andguiding means for this purpose.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine of the character dethe combination of two spaced sideplates, 1 rear supporting wheels, a block secured to each side plate atthe upper edge and near the front end thereof, each of said blocks beingprovided with a central recess, a vertical standard slidably mounted oneach side plate and operative through the recess of the said block, saidstandard having its upper end portion reduced and threaded, a supportingwheel carried by the standard at the lower end thereof, a coil springmounted about the reduced portion of the 75 standard and confined withinthe recess of the blockand adapted to exert downward pressure on saidstandard, and adjustable means for varying the compressionof saidspring.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of twospaced side plates, rear supporting wheels, a resiliently mountedvertical standard slidably mounted on each side plate, a supportingwheel carried by each standard at the lower end thereof, means foradjusting the resiliency of the mounting of saidstandard, arotaryknifedrum supported by the said side plates adjacent the wheels carriedby the standards, and means for causing rotation of 'said drum, the saidstandards, supporting wheels, and means for rotating the drum being allmounted between said side plates. A

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 1 i in presence of twowitnesses.

ALFRED SHIELDS.

Witnesses: I

ROY L. WHrrn, W; F. IIEPLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of- Ratents', Washington, D. (2. 1

